


Adrift

by LettersofSky



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Earth-C AU, M/M, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27373591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LettersofSky/pseuds/LettersofSky
Summary: Horuss has no idea what he was doing the vast majority of the time.It was one of the many quote-unquote pros of living in this new planet with its new culture, identity, and societal expectations, being free of the rules and regulations of Beforus and everything it had stood for.Most of the Beforian Trolls had seemed to adapt wonderfully to the new set of circumstances, embracing the new limitless potential they were offered and the freedom to do whatever they wished with it.But Horuss was not other Trolls and he often faced a number of struggles within the new life they had all been so graciously gifted.
Relationships: Kankri Vantas/Horuss Zahhak
Kudos: 7





	Adrift

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for Starlit Affections: A Pale Romance Zine https://lettersofsky.itch.io/starlit-affections ^_^  
> There's an art piece accompanying it by Mikkynga over on Twitter https://twitter.com/MikkytheHamster/status/1323729318749605894

Horuss has no idea what he was doing the vast majority of the time.

It was one of the many quote-unquote pros of living in this new planet with its new culture, identity, and societal expectations, being free of the rules and regulations of Beforus and everything it had stood for. Most of the Beforian Trolls had seemed to adapt wonderfully to the new set of circumstances, embracing the new limitless potential they were offered and the freedom to do whatever they wished with it.

But Horuss was not other Trolls and he often faced a number of struggles within the new life they had all been so graciously gifted. Struggles he could not bring up with anyone else for fear of coming across as disrespectful towards the others and their plights back home on Beforus when he was merely trying to express how he was having difficulty coping with everything around him without clearly defined rules to work off of.

On Beforus he’d had everything he needed; rules, expectations, guidelines as to what he should be and how he should conduct himself, knowledge and clear-cut definitions of anything and everything he encountered no matter what it was, and instructions of how best to handle each and every interaction he could ever have with another Troll, or frankly any other kind of individual. Here, he had nothing. No rules. No regulations or guidelines. Nothing to anchor himself with at all, just… nothing.

And without anything to help him build himself into what was expected of him, without expectations of who he should be at all, what did he actually have?

Nothing. He had nothing and he was nothing.

Nothing but a figure adrift amidst chaotic, churning waves, futilely looking for something firm to grasp onto and keep himself above the water’s freezing, grasping tendrils trying to pull him under so that he truly became lost within its deep limitless embrace and—

“You know it’s very rude to ignore somebody after they went out of their way to invite you into their hive Horuss,” he froze, somehow managing to stiffen further in his seat, staring down without truly seeing anything. “Especially after they’ve asked you a direct question that needs an answer before they can do something. Not everyone has the privilege to just waste time like that.”

Yes, of course. He was right, how truly dreadful of him to forget your basic manners in such a way over something as simple as answering a question. He knew how to answer it after all, it was not something so incredibly difficult.

“I am terribly sorry Kankri, I did neigh mean to keep you waiting.” The words were stiff with Horuss’ tightly clenched jaw, dull and emotionless as he was more often than not now. “I would…” he trailed off again, sentence dying as he came to the realisation that no, he did not know how to answer the question. Did Kankri want to know his preferences? What he would enjoy the most? What he would be content with? What he would tolerate out of polite kindness alone? Horuss did not know, he had no way to, not here, not now. Especially not with Kankri who still made him feel that everything he said or did was a debate, an argument waiting to commence. How was he supposed to—

“You would what?” Kankri prodded again, Horuss was sure that if he lifted his attention away from the table they were both seated at he would see the other Troll’s eyes narrowed at him, impatient and clearly regretting inviting Horuss into his hive for whatever reason he had.

“Whatever you are going to hoof.” A rush of an answer that had tension bleeding out of Horuss’ shoulders, finally he had settled on something to tell the other Troll. What a wonderful relief.

“Are you sure Horuss? I would not presume to give you something suited more to my tastes than your own, that would be awful behaviour for a host, not to mention the assumption that your tastes run similar enough to my own to enough the same things. Not that I’m implying your tastes are wrong or anything just that they’re different from mine.”

_ No. I am not sure of anything at all. _

“It is mare than fine Kankri, I do neigh wish for you to go out of your hay for my sake. Please feel free to give me whatever you wish to.” Please stop asking him such difficult questions he could hardly stand it.

“It’s no trouble at all Horuss, I’m simply offering you the same courtesy. I’m sure you would if our situations were reversed.”

Horuss breathes a gentle sigh of relief as Kankri moved, his ears perked and trained on the other Troll’s movements as he went about preparing whatever it was that he wanted for himself, leaving Horuss with a moment to recompose and gather himself at the table. A moment he grasped with both hands and used to take a number of deep, even breaths, drawing on old lessons to secure a bit of stability within the situation at hand.

He knew how to talk to Kankri, for the most part. He knew how to interact with the mutant, sometimes. It had never been this hard before, why should the stripping of everything he had used to build the core of himself change that?

Resolve firmed, he lifted his eyes from the table and fully placed himself back in the situation at hand.

He was in Kankri’s meal preparation block, sitting in a chair that felt far too small for his size and bulk was somehow managing to hold him well enough for the visitation. It was a small room, smaller than Horuss’ at least though that may have been due to the fact that there was more inside the room than Horuss’ own had, mainly the large table he was currently sitting at, his own hive absent of such a feature. The rest of the room was definitely not something Horuss would ever put together but then that was the point, this was Kankri’s space to do with as he wished, a point the mutant was surely revelling in, he was sure.

Which he should have been revelling in, Kankri deserved that much at least.

The fine hair at the back of his neck bristled and stood on end, rusted instincts alerting him that something was watching him.

His gaze snapped back to Kankri, seeing that he had been watching his inspection of his meal-preparation block from the corner of his eyes. Horuss felt shame and flustered colour from his nose to his ears at being caught doing something so rude to his host and his gaze returned to the table in front of him, focusing on one spot just above clenched together hands and forcing himself to remain there.

An old behaviour from back on Beforus, one he had trained himself out of as he tested his boundaries and limitations and figured out exactly what he could and could not do. Now though, without anything to steady himself on and draw support from, it had returned tenfold; focus elsewhere, focus somewhere safe and nowhere else until he knew he was allowed to.

He imagines he can hear a scoff from his friend, at least he assumes he can still call Kankri that, but that may have changed as well, he has no way to know. And he had no want to ask and know for certain so he kept his mouth clenched shut and waited for the next step, the next clue as to what he should be doing with himself.

“If you didn’t want to come today, you simply could have said so,” Kankri’s voice makes him jump, words almost leaving his mouth before he reigned them in with the knowledge that Kankri hated being interrupted when he was trying to give his opinion on something. “I wouldn’t have been offended by you setting up a boundary for your own sake.”

Horuss… was not sure if he believed the other Troll when he said that. He often said things he didn’t really mean and it was more than a little difficult for Horuss to figure out which was which.

“I did want to,” he offered instead because it was true; he and Kankri had not properly spoken since they had been given new lives to lead, the both of them busy with their own things, Horuss had missed the familiarity of interacting with him. Horuss had missed Kankri. “It has been too long since we last spoke.”

They both lapse into silence and Horuss wondered if he should say anything else and if so what? What was a suitable topic for this kind of situation? He did not have the slightest idea.

It was disconcerting. It was off-putting. He hated it.

A mug of coffee is placed in front of his clasped hands and Horuss focused on it immediately, watching from the edge of his vision as the hand that had placed it there retreated from his field of vision. “That is what happens when you refuse to interact with your friends, that is if I were to assume that is what you would class our relationship as, I wouldn’t want to pressure you into using a label you weren’t comfortable with, especially when it comes to how you interact with those of differing—”

“You are,” Horuss’ teeth sunk into his bottom lip a moment too late, those two words enough to silence Kankri completely in a way that had him tensing even more than before. How could he have let himself slip in such a way? Was the overall lack of structure in his life making him forget what few still remained? How rude could he be to interrupt Kankri in such a way when he was  _ absolutely _ aware of how he hated it. “You are my friend. Neigh matter… Despite… At least I hope you are.”

Hoping was a foolish venture for those without any grounds to hope upon though and Horuss had overstepped a boundary he was well aware of the existence of. He had less to hope for than any.

“I should leave.” Horuss stood up from the table, the movement sudden enough to surprise the two of them. “I am sorry for taking up your time.”

“Horuss I would prefer if you stayed so we can discuss—”

“Aneighter time.” The words felt as hollow as they sounded but Horuss was already too deep into his panicked actions to not follow through with his decision, as much as it was sure to further alienate himself from his friend. “I will take to you aneighter time, Kankri.”

“Horuss!” His ears flickered away, down flat to his skull at the frustration and anger in the other Troll’s voice but he was already halfway to the door and not planning on stopping any time soon. “Horuss if you don’t listen to me I’m—”

The door closed between them both and Horuss continued his escape, for that is what it was. An escape, a retreat, all he seemed to be capable of doing now without the ability to know where he stood and what he should be doing.

A coward. A failure. A disgrace if ever one was to exist.

Destroying one of the last remaining friendships he had left because he was unable to conduct himself properly, it was no wonder the others did not want anything to do with him.

He had earned this of course.

It was his time to deal with it.

~

Horuss does not expect to hear from Kankri again, not after his series of mistakes and missteps, and as such was more than a little surprised where he received a message from the other Troll from out of the blue whilst working on something one of the humans needed for reasons he had not truly been paying attention to, far too caught up in the idea of being useful for once.

melanoidTALKER (MT) started trolling aristocraticJUTLAND (AJ) at 14:25

MT: Hell9 H9russ, I h9oe I’m n9t intruding 9n anything t99 imp9rtant 6ut I 6elieve en9ugh time has passed since 9ur last enc9unter f9r us t9 6e a6le t9 pr9perly discuss what 9ccured.

MT: Namely y9ur sudden departure, despite my requests f9r y9u t9 stay s9 that we c9uld discuss things then and there, and the events that lead up t9 it.

MT: If I have distur6ed y9u at an imp9rtant time then we will need t9 arrange a 6etter time and date t9 suit 69th 9f 9ur schedules.

MT: Please resp9nd at y9ur earliest c9nvience.

Horuss stared at the messages for a long, drawn out minute before gently pushing himself away from his work desk to stand and make his way over to his husktop, pausing to stretch out muscles stiff from a combination of hours of stillness and small, delicate movements.

He sat down just in time to see ‘melanoidTALKER is typing’ across the bottom of the message box and could not help but to smile at the sight, slight and delicate as the expression was. He could imagine the other, whatever patience he was pretending to have running thin as he waited for a response.

He considered it a moment, drawing it out until Kankri posted whatever expanse of thinly veiled impatience he was working on, but there was little appeal to be found in the thought, once there had been perhaps, but they’d both moved on and grown since that particular point in their lives. There was no need to keep the other troll waiting.

aristocraticJUTLAND (AJ) is no longer IDLE

He sees Kankri stop typing immediately, pausing a moment as Horuss starts to compose a response before the message appears again, no doubt the other deleting the words he’d been about to send.

AJ: Good evening Kankri

AJ: As it currently stands I am in the middle of a project of GREAT importance and unstable to give you my full attention at this current time.

AJ: And though I do neigh believe there is any reason to discuss what occurred, if you are insistent we do so then I should be finished by Saturhay at the latest, we can discuss what times work best for us then.

Horuss read over his words a final time before sending them, nodding to himself as they read to be both properly respectful and dismissive of the need to discuss things at once. It was best if he and Kankri did not meet to discuss anything until he had a stronger grasp on what the society of this new world expected of him and he knew how he was supposed to properly conduct himself.

If he was able to, that was.

His response seemed to have thrown Kankri off a bit as he did not immediately see the other begin typing again for another minute or two. Once the other had composed himself enough to formulate a response Horuss understood exactly why that was.

MT: H9russ.

MT: T9day is Saturday.

_ Oh. _

AJ: Ah.

AJ: I see.

MT: What day did y9u think it was?

AJ: We only met a day before though, how could so much time hoof passed.

MT: Y9u were under the assumpti9n that 9nly a day had passed. That certainly explains y9ur denial 9f my pr9p9sal, y9u made the inc9rrect assumpti9n that n9t en9ugh time had passed since 9ur pri9r discussi9n.

MT: I shall f9rgive y9u 6ased 9ff this new inf9rmati9n.

Horuss was a bit too busy coming to terms with the fact that he had lost nearly a full week’s worth of time to argue the point with Kankri, letting the conversation continue without his input whiel he tried to understand how he could have let this occur.

MT: May I inquire as t9 the last time y9u ate? 9r w9uld that imply t99 heavily that I d9n’t 6elieve y9u’re capa6ble 9f l99king after y9urself pr9perly?

MT: W9uld that 6e cr9ssing 9ne 9f y9ur 69undaries?

MT: H9russ y9u cann9t simply ign9re me 6ecause I said s9mething y9u aren’t happy t9 hear, n9t 9nly is that extremely rude 6ut very 9ffensive c9nsidering y9ur kn9wledge 9f my hist9ry with such things.

MT: H9russ I require a resp9nse, y9ur c9ntinued persistence in ign9ring my c9ncerns is a clear indicat9r that y9u think them with9ut merit and thus invalidates what I am feeling and we have sp9ken at lengths a68ut why such a thing is n9t 6ehavi9ur that sh9uld 6e pr9pagated in any sense 9f the w9rd as it n9t 9nly demeans 6ut rem9ves the a6ility t9 see an9ther’s pight as truly valid.

AJ: I will have to speak with you at a later time.

artistocraticJUTLAND (AJ) is now OFFLINE

He saw Kankri continue to type, more than likely preparing to repeat things Horuss had heard him say a innumerous amount of times back on Beforus, but he shut down his husktop completely before the other could send it.

A full week of lost time, he had not experienced something like this since his time in the game, where time lost meaning and he was focused only on keeping himself valued by his friends because the Land or Shores and Solitude had been an achingly empty place and the nothing had tugged so very sweetly as to terrify him without company to lean upon.

And still he had lost himself to the planet, becoming as formless as the shorelines eroded by water.

And now he was losing himself again, solitude returning to claim him and tempt him back to the sweet nothing that had been waiting oh so patiently for him to be discarded and dismissed and—

No. No he was still himself, still wholly Horuss Zahhak and every damned thing that came with being such.

He just needed to eat something, he would feel better once there was actual food in his stomach.

Yes. Yes, that would do the trick.

Less than half-an-hour passes before he hears a knocking on his door that would have sounded perfectly polite if not for the fact that it repeated after only a minute and long before Horuss could have reasonably crossed the space between the counter he was currently seated at.

He entertained the idea of ignoring it, of feigning ignorance when he was inevitably questioned regarding the manner in the future, but that was wriggler-ish and he was no longer a wriggler hiding from things he did not want to acknowledge or deal with. So instead he stood from the counter, leaving his half-eaten lunch of crackers and cheese as he did not want to aggravate nausea from going from having eaten something too heavy for his system to handle after going so long without after all, and he crossed over to his door, opening it and causing Kankri to falter in place momentarily, fist still raised in the air.

There was a moment as they stood there looking at each other, before Kankri lowered his hand and cleared his throat, that Horuss swore the other Troll was going to strike him. It passed quickly as Kankri composed himself, though not well enough to hide the thrum of irritation in his words. “Not only is it rude to ignore your friend’s concerns but it’s moreso to make them come and check up on you. I thought you knew better.”

Horuss was so very tired all at once, and he did not have the strength in him to play Kankri’s game. Not today.

“I can neigh make you do anything.” He said, quietly repeating words Kankri had drummed into him over their years of knowing each other, and then, quieter, he continued. “I do neigh hoof to entertain another’s concerns if I do not wish to.”

Kankri does not bother to even attempt to hide his annoyance at his own words being turned against him. “You can’t just use my own arguments against me! They don’t apply he—”

“You are behaving far too pale for our current relationship.” Horuss’ own words this time, stopping Kankri immediately with the reminder. “We both decided we did neigh want that kind of relationship with each other, it is unfair to act otherwise.”

A long drawn out silence.

Kankri raised his chin, narrowed eyes glaring at the Indigo. “I don’t care,” he snapped, arms crossing over his chest and the whole of him going tense. “I’m not leaving until I know you’re not going to just die on me.”

It’s enough to get Horuss to snort a surprised breath that might have been laughter at any other point in time. All the same, he steps back and allows Kankri inside his hive.

“I am neigh so frail as to simply perish over something so minor.” His words were ignored by Kankri as he stepped inside, nose immediately crinkling in distance upon looking over the interior.

“How do you live like this?”

Though Horuss doubted Kankri wanted an actual answer he gave one all the same, manoeuvring around him carefully in order to pass back into the kitchen where he’d left his meal. “The minimalist lifestyle sounded like something I might enjoy. It is very reduced and very, very clean.”

“There’s nothing in here.”

“Now that is blatantly incorrect,” he could hear Kankri moving around behind him but made little effort towards keeping track of him within the confines of his hive, the other Troll would go where he wished and Horuss wasn’t able to put too much care into that fact. “I hoof exactly what I need and neighthing less.”

“You don’t even have a couch.” The dull words weren’t coming from immediately behind him but further off into the hive, Kankri checking everything now that Horuss had given him the ability though not necessarily the permission, to do so.

“I do neigh need one. It’s neigh as if I hoof company very often these days.”

“But you had one before.”

Horuss stiffened, suddenly glad Kankri had taken to invading the personal space of his home and wasn’t in the room to see him. “Before?” The word hadn’t even shaken too terribly as he voiced it, so he would count it as a successful endeavour of masking his falter.

“Don’t play coy with me.” An endeavour that appeared to have worked as Kankri seemed more annoyed than concerned, something much easier to deal with. “Back in the bubbles, you insisted on having one even when no one wanted to spend time with you.”

“You did.” Horuss breathed, insides clenching with something like nausea and causing him to push what remained of his food away, turning in his seat and waiting until Kankri returned to the main room. “I hardly see any reason in continuing such foolish actions.”

Kankri looks at him like he didn’t believe a single word Horuss was saying and he has to look away from unnatural scarlet else the other Troll might see more than he wanted him to.

“Are you finished with inspecting my hive? Or is there something else you wished to examine?”

Kankri’s quiet behind him in a way that’s far too similar to how he would go quiet with hurtful anger when Horuss would say something stupid or completely tackless back when they’d been younger and completely different individuals. Or perhaps not so different, for how could centuries upon centuries of stagnation really influence any kind of meaningful change?

Perhaps Horuss had simply deluded himself into thinking he was different from the Troll that had been so blind to everyone around him, blind to the fact that the society that had ensnared him so well into its web was not as kind as it would have liked to seem to those of the warmer castes.

Perhaps he hadn’t actually changed at all but to accept that he was unwanted beyond what he could do for those around him, what he could contribute to the collective whole.

“You should be thankful I’ve even bothered to come and check up on you,” Horuss flinched into himself at the audible harshness to Kankri’s voice. “I didn’t have to bother with you at all after our previous encounter and it seems I was wrong to keep giving you chances at my own expense. I can see now that you wish to wallow away to nothing so I’ll leave you to it.”

He doesn’t dare look as Kankri finished speaking, as the other Troll near storms out of his hive, the door closing behind him with a loud, frame shaking bang, rattling Horuss to his core.

The silence rang with finality, with a clear, definitive end.

Not the first time an interaction between them had ended like that, probably not the last.

He shook his head with a deep, heavy huff of breath and pushed himself from the table, whatever appetite he might have had was well and truly gone now, and moved to return to work. If he’d already lost so much time then it wouldn’t be too long before someone came to ask him about his progress and if he needed any additional help with the project.

That was the last thing he wanted.

His work was the only thing he could give now, it was all the importance he had left now, the only reason for any of the others to reach out to him.

He would much rather avoid having anyone think he was unable to complete what was asked of him.

It was much easier to work after he had taken the break and eaten something and he was able to finish the piece of machinery that had been giving him trouble.

aristocraticJUTLAND (AJ) started trolling melanoidTALKER (MT) at 20:53

AJ: Thank you for making me take a break, I was able to finish the piece tonight.

AJ: And my apologies for how our last few encanters hoof been, it was neigh my intention to overstep your boundaries, nor to upset you though I am amare that what I intended has neighting to do with whether or not I caused you harm.

AJ: Things hoof been so very difficolt here I hoof found myself losing sense of what I am supposed to do with myself in situations. Which is neigh an effort to excuse my actions, simply to state that I am well amare of why I hoof been behaving so awfoally and understand where I need to improve.

AJ: Even though I hoof been struggling with where %actly to start the process of doing so.

AJ: And I understand if you do neigh want anything mare to do with me after today, I would not blame you for putting that boundary in place.

AJ: I wish you neighthing but the best going forward Kankri. It was lovely to be your friend.

He had thought that was going to be the end to it all; Horuss was prepared to simply close the chat client and turn everything off for the night but the other Troll surprised him again by responding.

MT: I am g9ing t9 pretend y9u didn’t write th9se last tw9 sentences as there is n9 way y9u’re so distrustful 9f me n9r d9 y9u value 9ur relati9nship s9 little as t9 simply thr9w it aside like that. If I were the type to presume I w9uld say that y9u were trying t9 say that y9u n9 l9nger wish t9 c9ntinue as we currently are.

MT: 6ut we 69th kn9w that assuming things f9r 9thers is incredi6ly rude.

AJ: It is.

MT: And what is y9ur take 9n my percepti9n 9f things as they currently stand?

AJ: I…

AJ: Do neigh wish to continue things as they currently stand.

MT: 9h.

Horuss stared at the screen; unsure how to take Kankri’s response, unsure if he should stop or if he should progress. Nervous energy won over the need to behave how he was supposed to, then again he was still largely at a loss for what he was supposed to do in most situations, perhaps there was no proper way of doing things.

Perhaps he just needed to… do them. Maybe it was something so simple.

He’d done it before, just once, he could do it again.

AJ: I will admit to being unhappy with our current arrangement of things.

AJ: I… do neigh like neigh knowing what is %actly %pected of me, nor neigh knowing how to properly act in most circumstances. I find it… highly distressing.

AJ: When you act in a pale fashion towards me I do neigh know what to do because you said you do neigh want that kind of relationship with me.

AJ: I would much rather neigh interact with you again than continue to hurt you because I do neigh know what I am supposed to be doing.

MT: Y9u are literally the stupidest individual I have ever had the pleasure 9f speaking t9.

MT: There is n9 way y9u’re supp9sed t9 act, y9u’re y9ur 9wn individual and y9u sh9uld n9t c9ntain y9urself like that. We’re n9t 9n 6ef9rus anym9re, we d9n’t need t9 c9nf9rm t9 their standards.

MT: The fact that y9u w9uld even suggest 9therwise sh9ws h9w little y9u actually listen t9 me, if y9u had y9u w9uld kn9w that there’s n9 9ne but y9u that can tell y9u h9w y9u’re supp9sed t9 act.

MT: That’s a part 9f life y9u idi9t.

AJ: I am amare of that.

MT: Then y9u sh9uld act like it.

MT: St9p wall9wing in y9ur hive and c9me 9ut with me t9 get s9me actual furniture in y9ur hive. I’m n9t g9ing t9 sit 9n the fl99r like s9me sec9nd-rate individual.

AJ: You can sit in my chair. I do neigh mind sitting on the floor.

MT: H9russ.

AJ: I do need to buy food tomorrow though, perhaps we can look then?

MT: H9russ.

AJ: Yes, yes I am amare; the fact that I do neigh hoof much in my meal-preparation block is entirely my own fault.

MT: Y9u are s9 lucky I d9n’t want t9 leave my h9me at this hour.

AJ: I would neigh recommend that neigh, it is terribully cold outside. And quite dark. You do neigh know who could be roaming around out there.

MT: N9w wh9’s acting pale?

AJ: Am I… neigh allowed to?

AJ: I thought that was what this was leading to, if I was wrong then that is my own fault and I will apologize for assuming as such.

MT: I was teasing y9u.

AJ: Oh. Of horse you were.

MT: If y9u’ve finished w9rking 9n the thing f9r the humans then t9m9rr9w is fine with me, I had things I need t9 d9 myself s9 we can d9 69th at 9nce.

AJ: Thank you.

AJ: Sincerely.

AJ: And I apologize again for my actions earlier in the week.

MT: It’s fine f9r n9w, we can discuss it m9re in depth in the m9rning, after I’m sure y9u’ve had s9me sleep. It’s late and rest is required.

AJ: My apologies for keeping you up.

MT: Y9u weren’t. I have a num6er 9f things that require my attenti9n 6ef9re the day’s finished, y9u w9uld kn9w that if y9u hadn’t run 9ff 6ef9re I c9uld tell y9u.

AJ: Again, I am very sorry. I should hoof conducted myself better.

MT: Yes, y9u sh9uld have stayed and talked thr9ugh the issue with me instead 9f taking 9ff like a frightened h99f6east.

AJ: But you should rest soon as well. A suggestion, neigh anything other than that. You deserve a good night’s rest as well.

MT: S99n.

AJ: >8=(

MT: H9russ. Th9se faces are stupid and I th9ught y9u’d st9pped using them after things neded p99rly with Leij9n. Like I t9ld y9u it w9uld.

AJ: I think I still them.

MTL Y9u w9uld say that.

MT: G99d night H9russ, I will see y9u in the m9rning. At a reas9na6le c9nscienti9us time.

AJ: Good night Kankri. I hope you rest well.

Horuss set his status to offline and shifted away from the computer, stretching his limbs out and allowing himself to release the tension in his form. He hadn’t ruined things, not yet at least. He still had the… first date to get through tomorrow.

But he should get ahead of himself, that’s how he started to overthink everything. Best to take things one day at a time.

He turned everything off and stood from his chair, stretching his back out as he did.

One day at a time.

One day at a time.

Everything would be fine as long as he took things one day at a time.

He’d had years to ruin things with Kankri and the other Troll was still around even after experiencing his worst years, he doubted he could do anything tomorrow that would be worse.

It would be a fine… first date.


End file.
